Qatar releases video, hits back at Airbus in A350 paint row

Qatar Airways hit back on Friday at a decision by Airbus to widen a dispute over damaged passenger jets by cancelling a separate $4.6 billion order for A321neos.

Qatar Airways hit back on Friday at a decision by Airbus to widen a dispute over damaged passenger jets by cancelling a separate $4.6 billion order for A321neos. The Gulf airline also released a video https://we.tl/t-5fFwwIrMB0 appearing to show patches of damage to paint and a layer of lightning protecton on two A350s grounded by its regulator, in the first official images to emerge in a dispute with the European planemaker.

The two companies have been locked in a row for months over A350 damage that has led to the grounding of 21 planes by Qatar months ahead of the World Cup to be held in the Gulf state. A clip issued by Qatar Airways showed peeling or missing paint and damage to underlying anti-lightning protection, as well as what the airline described as patches of structural carbon-fibre exposed to moisture and ultra-violet light.

The images echoed damage to A350 airliners portrayed in pictures exclusively https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/costly-airbus-paint-flaw-goes-wider-than-gulf-2021-11-29 published by Reuters last November. Airbus had no immediate comment.